Alcohol

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the total revenue received by the Exchequer from the sale of alcoholic drink in 2008.

Lord Myners: Total alcohol duty received by the Exchequer in 2008 was £8,689 million and is published in the National Statistics Beer and Cider bulletin available at www.uktradeinfo.com/index.cfm?task= bullbeer. The revenue from other taxes from the sale of alcoholic drink is not available.

Banking: Royal Bank of Scotland

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the value and duration of the outstanding Royal Bank of Scotland loans to Oleg Deripaska and his companies.

Lord Myners: Subject to market disclosure requirements, information about customer exposures is a matter for the management of RBS.

Civil Service: Performance Pay

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty's Government (a) what the total monetary value of Senior Civil Service non-consolidated performance pay awards was in HM Treasury and its agencies, (b) how many and what proportion of the Senior Civil Service staff in HM Treasury and its agencies received performance pay awards by SCS pay band, and (c) how those awards were distributed by pay band and award category, for each of the past five years for which data are available.

Lord Myners: The pay framework for Senior Civil Servants, including the size of SCS bonus pot, is published in the annual reports of the Review Body on Senior Salaries, copies of which are available in the Library of the House.
	The table below sets out the information requested for Senior Civil Servants working within the Treasury Group in the years for which it is available. Figures for payments relating to performance during 2007-08, and paid during 2008-09, are not yet available. Information about bonuses paid during 2008-09 will be included in the Treasury's departmental report later this year.
	HM Treasury includes consideration of the Senior Civil Servants at the UK Debt Management Office (DMO) at its pay committee due to small numbers involved.
	
		
			 Table 1: Non-consolidated performance pay awards for Senior Civil Servants in the Treasury Group 2004-05 to 2006-07 
			  Performance year: 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 
			 HM Treasury and DMO No of SCS Staff receiving award 53 62 62 
			  Proportion receiving award 54% 55% 61% 
			  Pay pot* (000) 353 493 645 
			 OGC No of SCS Staff receiving award  11 12 
			  Proportion receiving award  48% 50% 
			  Pay pot* (£000)  110 199 
		
	
	*Amount of non-consolidated pay pot excluding employer costs
	
		
			 Table 2a: Non-consolidated performance pay awards for Senior Civil Servants by payband and performance category 2004-05 to 2006-07—HM Treasury and DMO 
			 Performance year Tranche SCS I SC2 SC3 
			 2004-05 Top 19 3 1 
			  Middle 21 7 2 
			  Bottom 0 0 0 
			 2005-06 Top 21 4 2 
			  Upper Middle 26 9 1 
			  Lower Middle 0 0 0 
			  Bottom 0 0 0 
			 2006-07 Top 21 4 2 
			  Upper Middle 26 9 1 
			  Lower Middle 0 0 0 
			  Bottom 0 0 0 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2b: Non-consolidated performance pay awards for Senior Civil Servants by payband and performance category 2005-06 to 2006-07—Office of Government Commerce* 
			 Performance year Tranche SCS Paybands 1, 1A, 2 & 3 
			 2005-06 Top 6 
			  Upper Middle 3 
			  Lower Middle 2 
			  Bottom 0 
			 2006-07 Top 10 
			  Upper Middle 10 
			  Lower Middle 0 
			  Bottom 0 
		
	
	* Figures for OGC by payband cannot be released, due to the small numbers involved.

Deen International

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Malloch-Brown on 14 May (WA 237—8) concerning a public relations campaign currently supported by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, what was the process by which Deen International was selected to provide the service.

Lord Davies of Oldham: "I am Muslim. I am British" is a community-led pilot initiative that was proposed to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) by Deen International. It is not a campaign initiated by the FCO.
	In line with established procedures for such proposals, the FCO's Counter Terrorism and Radicalisation Programme Board, consisting of cross-Whitehall representation, considered the project carefully. The board was satisfied, after assessment in line with FCO programme and project best practice, that it would contribute to the objectives of the Prevent strands of the Government's counter-terrorism strategy and agreed to fund a pilot. No decision has yet been taken on whether to fund a further stage.

Dogger Bank

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 20 May (WA 316), whether the discussions with the Netherlands and Germany have considered how the three governments should work together in enforcing the Dogger Bank special area of conservation; and, if so, when the results will be published.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The Government have not designated any part of the Dogger Bank in UK waters as a special area of conservation (SAC) under the EC Habitats Directive. Our statutory nature conservation body, the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC), has put forward proposals for a SAC at Dogger Bank within UK waters. The proposals are currently being considered by Defra. JNCC plan, subject to approval, to conduct a formal consultation on the proposals before the end of 2009. If, following that consultation, any part of the Dogger Bank requires designation as an SAC, Defra plans to submit the site to the European Commission in 2010.
	As no SAC has yet been designated in UK waters, no detailed discussions have taken place with the Netherlands and Germany regarding any enforcement measures that may be required to protect the area. However, as the Dogger Bank is a cross-boundary feature, officials from Defra and the JNCC have met regularly with their Dutch and German counterparts regarding the scientific justification for the designation of the Dogger Bank as an SAC, and the human activities that may affect its conservation status.

Ecological Debt

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they support the principle of repaying ecological debt to protect future generations.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The Government are committed to achieving the goal of sustainable development which is to enable all people throughout the world to satisfy their basic needs and enjoy a better quality of life, without compromising the quality of life of future generations. Living within environmental limits is an essential part of achieving that goal—respecting the limits of the planet's environment, resources and biodiversity—to improve our environment and ensure that the natural resources needed for life are unimpaired and remain so for future generations.
	The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs' Public Service Agreement (PSA) states that the Government's vision for the natural environment is to secure a diverse, healthy and resilient natural environment. To increase our understanding of the value of the natural environment to present and future generations, the Government are supporting a range of initiatives, including the economics of ecosystems and biodiversity study, and a national ecosystem assessment for the UK.

Equal Pay: Government Departments

Baroness Warsi: To ask Her Majesty's Government what pay gaps there are in respect of gender, race and disability among employees of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.

Lord Carter of Barnes: The departments' pay gaps in relation to gender are detailed in table 27 of the 2008 Civil Service Statistics which has been published on the internet and can be found using the following link at www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_labour/CivilService_tables_2008.xls.
	The table below shows the pay gaps identified at May 2009 in relation to staff who have declared a disability to those who have not.
	
		
			  Number of Staff (FTE) Median FTE Base Pay 
			 Band Declared Disabled Not Declared* All Staff % Declared Declared Disabled Not Declared* All Staff Gap 
			 Band A 38.2 276.3 314.5 12% £21,285 £20,224 £20,496 -5.25% 
			 Band B 81.5 895.3 976.9 8% £26,343 £27,070 £27,070 2.69% 
			 Band C 58.8 950.2 1,009.0 6% £47,346 £45,797 £46,082 -3.38% 
			 SCS 11.0 143.0 154.0 7% £83,030 £74,650 £74,650 11.23% 
		
	
	* Staff in BERR are able to choose not to declare their disability. These figures include staff who have not declared their disability or are not disabled.
	The table below shows the pay gaps identified at May 2009 in relation to the ethnicity of staff.
	
		
			  Number of Staff (FTE) Median FTE Base Pay 
			 Band White Other Ethnicity Not Declared* All Staff % other** White Other Ethnicity Not Declared* All Staff Gap** 
			 Band A 155.7 69.2 89.5 314.5 44% £18,369 £21,285 £21,285 £20,496 15.87% 
			 Band B 449.9 200.1 326.9 976.9 44% £27,070 £27,023 £27,352 £27,070 0.17% 
			 Band C 628.8 91.4 288.7 1,009.0 15% £47,346 £44,186 £44,353 £46,082 6.67% 
			 SCS 128.0 6.0 21.0 155.0 5% £75,047 £76,033 £73,900 £74,650 -1.31% 
		
	
	* Staff in BERR are able to choose not to declare their ethnicity thus these figures include staff who have either not completed the declaration or have preferred not to say what their ethnicity is. Around 30 per cent of staff have not declared their ethnicity.
	** These figures compare staff who have declared their ethnicity as white with those who have declared themselves as being from any other ethnic background.

Gambling

Lord Clement-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will ask the Gambling Commission to investigate the practice of casinos running promotions offering a free bet and a free drink to new customers.

Lord Davies of Oldham: We do not consider that such an investigation is necessary. Any marketing undertaken by casinos must be socially responsible and licensees must comply with the Gambling Commission's requirements on marketing as set out in the Commission's Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP).
	The LCCP includes specific provisions in respect of free or discounted drinks promotions and free bets in licensed casino premises and can be viewed on the Commission's website at www.gamblingcommission. gov.uk/UploadDocs/publications/Document/LCCP 08 %20final%20pdf.pdf.

Government Departments: Bottled Water

Baroness Warsi: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much the Department for Culture, Media and Sport spent on bottled water in each of the last five years.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The department spent the following on bottled water.
	
		
			 2004 £9,893 
			 2005 £12,502 
			 2006 £10,738 
			 2007 £8,351 
			 2008 £5,242 
		
	
	In September 2008 the department installed a system to filter and bottle tap water on site. The department now no longer purchases bottled water.

Health: Statins

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking regarding the distribution of statins on prescription.

Lord Darzi of Denham: Raised cholesterol levels are a significant risk factor for all cardiovascular diseases including coronary heart disease and stroke. An estimated 6-8 million people are currently receiving statin therapy, saving an estimated 10,000 lives every year, as well as reducing the number of heart attacks. The National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence provide guidelines on prescription of statins both for primary and secondary prevention. However, it is for clinicians to decide in each case where statins should be prescribed for an individual.

Housing Benefit

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord McKenzie of Luton on 21 May (WA 361), whether the appropriate proportion of the £3.72 billion paid in 2005—06 and £4.14 billion paid in 2006—07 as housing benefit in relation to private tenancies in Great Britain is estimated to have been recouped as income tax from private landlords; and what was that amount.

Lord Myners: Estimates of the amount of income tax paid by private landlords on income derived from housing benefit paid in relation to private tenancies are not available.

Income

Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Myners on 1 June (WA 43), what are the measurable components of the "living standards" for the poorest households and the richest households which determine whether there is a credible trend in the gap between rich and poor people in the United Kingdom.

Lord Myners: The term "living standards" is used to refer to household disposable incomes, after adjusting for the household size and composition, as published in the Households Below Average Income (HBAI) publication, available at www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/hbai/hbai2008/chapters.asp.

Israel and Palestine

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their response to the speech by President Obama in Cairo on 4 June proposing two viable states in Israel and Palestine.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The UK welcomes President Obama's early engagement and determination to work towards resolving the Israel-Palestinian issue. We support fully President Obama's emphasis on the need for Israel to end all settlement activity, the need for Palestinians to renounce violence, the importance of a two-state solution, and the importance of stimulating the Palestinian economy.

Marine Conservation

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they are considering for signage to explain marine protected areas to visitors.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The Government are not currently considering plans for signage to explain marine protected areas (MPAs) to visitors. For MPAs near to the coast, the Government would expect the relevant public authorities, including Natural England, to identify the need, and make provision, for display boards where appropriate. This is in accordance with their duties under the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006, and as proposed in the future by the Marine and Coastal Access Bill.

Passports

Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will ask the Bahraini authorities to cease the unlawful confiscation of British passports of dual Bahraini-British citizens, and to return any confiscated passports to the holders or to the British consulate, in accordance with international law.

Lord Davies of Oldham: Our embassy in Bahrain has received a number of reports in recent days from British citizens that British passports have been held by the Bahraini authorities. The same citizens said that this had been happening for some time. Our ambassador attended the Foreign Ministry on Sunday 7 June 2009 to demand that this practice ceases and that any British passports currently held by the Bahraini authorities be returned immediately to the embassy.

Russia

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the trial of 12 Muslims in Kazan, Russia, is being observed by European Union representatives; and whether their prosecution was initiated by the Tatarstan autonomous government or by the Russian Federation authorities.

Lord Davies of Oldham: EU representatives are not formally observing the trial of the 12 defendants in Kazan. Our embassy in Moscow is, however, monitoring developments in the trial. It is important that all judicial processes in this case are carried out fairly and transparently. The UK strongly supports President Medvedev's rule of law agenda, and we discuss these issues regularly with our Russian counterparts, both bilaterally and through the EU.
	From the reports on the trial that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has seen, it is unclear who initiated the prosecution of the suspects. These reports do however say that the detention of the suspects was a joint operation between the Tatarstan branch of the Russian Federation Security Service (FSB) and the Tatarstan Ministry of the Interior.

Somaliland

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Malloch-Brown on 2 June (WA 71), why they do not recognise Somaliland as an independent state.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The UK has signed up to an EU common position and endorsed many UN Security Council resolutions that refer to the territorial integrity and unity of Somalia. We believe that, through dialogue between the Somaliland authorities and the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia, the Somali people themselves should determine the most appropriate future arrangements. Beyond that we believe that any process of international recognition must begin in Africa and countries in the region should take the lead in recognising any new arrangements.
	We acknowledge that Somaliland has achieved relative peace and stability. Nevertheless, we continue to apply the recognition criteria specified in the Written Answer of 16 November 1989 (Official Report, col. 494). These criteria are more likely to be met if countries in the region themselves recognise Somaliland.
	We remain committed to supporting development in Somaliland and continue to engage with its authorities in a range of areas.

Sport: Personal Data

Lord Moynihan: To ask Her Majesty's Government how guidelines recently issued by the European Commission concerning privacy and personal data protection will impact on the "whereabouts tests" for sportsmen and sportswomen covered by the World Anti-Doping Agency's rules.

Lord Carter of Barnes: On 6April 2009, the EU Article 29 Data Protection Working Party published an opinion on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) International Standard for the Protection of Privacy and Personal Information (ISPPPI), related provisions of the WADA Code and International Standards, and other privacy issues in the context of anti-doping. The opinion is available on the EU's website at http://ec.europa.eu/justice_home/fsj/privacy/docs/wpdocs/2009/wp162_en.pdf.
	Following this, WADA approved a revised ISPPPI which will come into force on 1June 2009. This will bring the ISPPPI in line with European data protection standards and will provide further assurances that appropriate, sufficient and effective privacy protections are in place for "whereabouts" information. This is available on WADA's website at http://www.wada-ama.org/en/dynamic.ch2?pageCategory.id=807.
	I will place a copy of both these documents in the House Libraries.
	The European Commission, the Council of Europe and WADA are now working together to look at other data protection issues identified by the working party, which could not be addressed by making changes to the ISPPPI. This includes issues related to the Code and International Standard for Testing, which set out the requirements on "whereabouts".
	This process will determine whether any other changes are necessary.

Taxation: Income Tax

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Myners on 2 June (WA 79) concerning inter-government discussions, why they will not indicate when the policy of not publishing details of such discussions was adopted, and by whom.

Lord Myners: I have nothing further to add to the answer I gave on 2 June.

Television Licensing Authority

Lord Vinson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what right the Television Licensing Authority has to demand that those people without a television should telephone to tell them so.

Lord Carter of Barnes: Under the terms of the BBC's charter and agreement, it is the responsibility of the BBC Trust to ensure that arrangements for the collection of the licence fee are efficient, appropriate and proportionate. The BBC has informed me that it does not have any legal right to demand that people without a television receiver contact them.
	The BBC has informed me that TV Licensing nonetheless asks such people to do so in order that they will not receive regular mailings intended for unlicensed viewers. Furthermore, this helps to ensure greater accuracy with the TV licensing database.

Tourism

Lord Fearn: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many tourists visited the United Kingdom in (a) 2006, (b) 2007, and (c) 2008.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The numbers of tourists who visited the United Kingdom, as recorded by the International Passenger Survey, for the years 2006, 2007 and the provisional numbers for 2008 are set out in the table below.
	
		
			 Year Inbound Visit numbers 
			 2006 32.713 million 
			 2007 32.778 million 
			 2008 31.928 million 
		
	
	Source International Passenger Survey.

UK Trade and Investment: Iraq

Lord Astor of Hever: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many UK Trade and Investment posts there are in Iraq; and for how long they have been staffed.

Lord Davies of Oldham: UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) has three permanent positions in Baghdad, consisting of one UK-based officer and two locally engaged staff. One of the locally engaged positions is a long-standing post. The other two posts were created in 2009.
	Alongside the full-time staff allocation, UKTI is currently employing two business consultants in Iraq on contracts that run through to the end of July 2009.

UK Trade and Investment: Iraq

Lord Astor of Hever: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many British defence companies were given support by UK Trade and Investment under the trade access programme to attend events in Iraq, broken down by year since 2005.

Lord Davies of Oldham: UK Trade and Investment has not been requested to support any British defence companies in Iraq under the tradeshow access programme.

UK Trade and Investment: Iraq

Lord Astor of Hever: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many grants for British trade in Iraq have been given to British defence companies wishing to participate in the UK Trade and Investment Export Marketing Research Scheme; and what was the total amount of the grants.

Lord Davies of Oldham: UK Trade and Investment supports the Export Marketing Research Scheme (EMRS) through Chambers of Commerce in the UK.
	British Chambers of Commerce have checked their records dating back to 1999 and have no records of any request for EMRS from British defence companies and therefore no grant money has been released in this respect.

UK Trade and Investment: Iraq

Lord Astor of Hever: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many British-sponsored trade delegations have visited Iraq since the establishment of the new republic in 2005.

Lord Davies of Oldham: My right honourable friend, the Secretary of State for the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills led a high level business delegation of 23 UK companies and one business support organisation to Basra and Baghdad in April 2009.
	The Middle East Association has taken four UK trade missions to the Kurdistan Regional Governate over the period 2006-09.

Water Supply: Surface Drainage

Lord Pendry: To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures are available for community and volunteer groups to reduce costs related to surface water draining.

Lord Davies of Oldham: Guidance issued by the Secretary of State in 2000 stated that customers should only be charged for surface water runoff from their properties that enters the public sewer system, and that the Government support the provision of rebates for customers whose surface water does not flow into public sewers.
	All customers can therefore reduce costs related to surface water drainage by implementing sustainable drainage measures such as soakaways or permeable paving, to reduce the amount of surface water runoff into sewers, and applying for a rebate from their water company.